Senator Murray Statement on Recent Deaths of Unarmed African Americans

“Our country owes grieving families and communities change that is as long overdue as our country is old…that’s what people in elected office should be working toward—and that’s what I am committed to.”

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement in response to several recent deaths of unarmed Black people in cities across the nation.  

“Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd should be with their families today, as should so many other Black people—including Black LGBTQIA+ women and men—who were killed because our country is so far from confronting, and overcoming, racism and hate both in our systems and in our communities.

“As a mother and grandmother, my heart breaks for Black families and communities of color in my home state of Washington and across the nation reckoning with the constant, deadly presence of racism, both in our country’s institutions and in countless day-to-day interactions.

“The federal government should investigate these tragic deaths to ensure there is accountability and justice. Institutions that stand in the way of accountability and justice must be reformed. Laws that protect police officers from prosecution—or any accountability—for senseless killings should be repealed. But these steps are only a start.

“Our country owes grieving families and communities change that is as long overdue as our country is old. It owes young people hope that the world they inherit is becoming safer, not more dangerous. That’s what people in elected office should be working toward—and that’s what I am committed to.”